Watch Out When Using Tax Consultants In Indonesia

Posted on Apr 18, 2010

Surabaya Police Criminal Investigation Units arrested Suhertanto aka Tanto an employee of Rungkut tax office complaint department, Surabaya. The 33-year-old man was charged with embezzlement of taxpayers deposit money in cooperation with the victims tax consultants.

“He is a part of a tax crime syndicates,” said District Surabaya Police Chief, Commissioner Ike Edwin, when talking to the press in his office, Sunday (18/04/2010).

Trusting Tax Consultant Could Result in Loss of Money

Tanto arrest, said Ike, is the development of the arrest of other suspects on 5 and 8 March. Members of syndicates who were arrested earlier were Fatchan, Iwan Rosyidi, Mochammad Mutarozikin, Gatot Budi Sambodo, Herlius Widia Kembara, Totok Suratman, Moch Soni and Siswato. Police also arrested Enang Yahyo Untoro, a former cleaning service in Rungkut tax office.

Tanto and his colleagues schemes were discovered after the Director of PT Putra Sentosa Steady, Devid Sentono learns that the company tax deposit was embezzled by the defendants by falsifying the validation or proof of payment at the Jatim Bank.

As many as 34 pieces of Devid tax proof of payments was falsified valued at Rp 934 million (USD 90,000). “The victim received a reminder letter from the tax office when he knew that it is all been paid via his tax consultant,” said Ike.

Ike explained that the perpetrators falsify the tax receipt of PT Putra Mapan Sentosa by its tax consultant Junaidi Agustri. Fatchan and Iwan, who are working at the tax consultant office, pick up the cash from PT Putra Mapan Sentosa office which is located in Mangga Dua Square Ruko Blok B No. 2 Surabaya.

After taking the money, Fatchan and Iwan should have deposited the money to the bank to get the proof of payment. “From there they then should have continued to report to the tax office where the taxpayer company is located to get a receipt for the report,” said Ike.

Instead Fatchan and Iwan obtain falsified tax receipt with the help of Siswanto and Mutarozikin. “Mutarozikin cut is 10 percent of the value of the tax receipt,” says Ike.

The counterfeiting chain validation also involves Billy, Herlus, Bambang, Suhermanto, Totok and Soni. Each person is getting the funds between 10 – 20 percent of the value of the tax receipt. They use fake Bank Jatim and the tax directorate general stamp to create the falsified tax receipt. “All of the falsified tax receipt went from Tanto to Siswato through Enang,” said Ike.

When asked, Tanto confess that their operation has lasted for a year. The obese men had also claimed that PT Putra Mapan Sentosa was not their only victims. “There are some 200 other companies,” Tanto said softly.

Ike said the police will continue to develop its investigation of these tax crimes. Moreover, he said, Tanto has been “singing” about others involvement in this case. “We will investigate the East Java Directorate General of Taxes to see if there is anyone else besides Tanto involved,” said Ike.
(SRJB)